Latest news with #Bluffton
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Graduation celebration ends in tragedy as homecoming king is 'killed by his friend in drunk driving crash'
A Minnesota high school graduation celebration ended in tragedy after an alleged drunk driving crash killed the school's homecoming king and left his classmate facing felony charges. Blake Unger, 18, a beloved homecoming king and standout athlete from New York Mills High School, was killed on Tuesday when his classmate, Izak Schermerhorn, also 18, crashed his pickup truck while intoxicated. The two had been celebrating their recent graduation when the fatal accident occurred in Bluffton Township, in the area of County Highway 75 and 640th Avenue. According to authorities, Schermerhorn had consumed three to four Mike's Hard Lemonades before picking up his friend for a late-night drive. Schermerhorn admitted to intentionally fishtailing on a gravel road and claimed he had been showcasing recent modifications to his truck's exhaust. 'Deputy Peterson observed deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road,' the criminal complaint reads, Fox9 reported. However, Schermerhorn eventually lost control of his truck, causing the vehicle to flip and roll into a ditch and pin Unger underneath. Despite efforts to revive him, Unger was pronounced dead at the scene. Schermerhorn, who had reportedly been sober for a year following a past struggle with alcoholism, expressed deep remorse to deputies, stating, 'I f***ed up' and that his life was over 'for a couple of drinks'. His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.13 - well above the legal limit for drivers of any age. He now faces three counts of criminal vehicular homicide - two for driving under the influence and one for gross negligence. A judge released him on $1,000 bail on Thursday, with conditions including counseling and abstaining from alcohol and drugs. He is scheduled to return to court on June 10. Unger was remembered for his athleticism and leadership, particularly his game-saving interceptions in football and his contributions to the wrestling team. 'It is with a great deal of sadness that I share this message with you … that a member of our school community has passed away in a motor vehicle accident,' District Superintendent Adam Johnson said in a statement to families. 'This is a devastating time for our entire community.' GoFundMe fundraiser has since been created to support the family through their loss.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Homecoming king is killed by his friend in tragic graduation celebration
A Minnesota high school graduation celebration ended in tragedy after an alleged drunk driving crash killed the school's homecoming king and left his classmate facing felony charges. Blake Unger, 18, a beloved homecoming king and standout athlete from New York Mills High School, was killed on Tuesday when his classmate, Izak Schermerhorn, also 18, crashed his pickup truck while intoxicated. The two had been celebrating their recent graduation when the fatal accident occurred in Bluffton Township in the area of County Highway 75 and 640th Avenue. According to authorities, Schermerhorn had consumed three to four Mike's Hard Lemonades before picking up his friend for a late-night drive. Schermerhorn admitted to intentionally fishtailing on a gravel road and claimed he had been showcasing recent modifications to his truck's exhaust. 'Deputy Peterson observed deep ruts in the road where it appeared the driver had been aggressively fishtailing back and forth along the gravel road,' the criminal complaint reads, Fox9 reported. However, Schermerhorn eventually lost control of his truck, causing the vehicle to flip and roll into a ditch and pinning Unger underneath. Despite efforts to revive him, Unger was pronounced dead at the scene. Schermerhorn, who had reportedly been sober for a year following a past struggle with alcoholism, expressed deep remorse to deputies, stating, 'I f**ked up' and that his life was over 'for a couple of drinks.' His blood alcohol content was measured at 0.13 - well above the legal limit for drivers of any age. He now faces three counts of criminal vehicular homicide - two for driving under the influence and one for gross negligence. A judge released him on $1,000 bail on Thursday, with conditions including counseling and abstaining from alcohol and drugs. Unger was remembered for his athleticism and leadership, particularly his game-saving interception in football and his contributions to the wrestling team He is scheduled to return to court on June 10. Unger was remembered for his athleticism and leadership, particularly his game-saving interception in football and his contributions to the wrestling team. 'It is with a great deal of sadness that I share this message with you … that a member of our school community has passed away in a motor vehicle accident,' District Superintendent Adam Johnson said in a statement to families. 'This is a devastating time for our entire community.' A GoFundMe fundraiser has since been created to support the family through their loss.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
SC Highway Patrol: Three injured in fatal Bluffton car crash, investigation ongoing
The South Carolina Highway Patrol revealed key details Monday night about the car crash that claimed the life of a driver and hospitalized three others Monday afternoon in Bluffton. The crash, which occurred around 12:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of U.S. 278 and White Oak Circle, involved six vehicles, according to Trooper Nick Pye, who described the moments leading to the crash. Three of the vehicles, including a 2019 Ford pickup truck, a 2015 Lexus sedan and a 2017 Toyota pickup truck, were heading west toward Bluffton at the time of the accident. The other three vehicles involved, a 2019 Nissan sedan, a 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck and a 2024 Toyota van were traveling east toward Hilton Head Island. The Ford pickup struck the other two westbound vehicles and then traveled left of center, merging into oncoming traffic, where it struck the eastbound Nissan and Chevrolet. The Toyota van then struck the Ford pickup. In all, there were ten occupants in the cars. Three occupants were transported to a local hospital, including the driver and a passenger in the Ford pickup truck and the driver of the Nissan sedan. The driver and sole occupant of the Chevrolet truck sustained fatal injuries. The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, said Pye.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Track: O-G boys, Bluffton girls win Ehresman Invite
Apr. 12—BATH TOWNSHIP — Bluffton basketball standout Marek Donaldson has always wondered how he would fare in track and field. Now, a senior, Donaldson decided to give the sport a try for the first time. So far, it looks like he is catching on. Advertisement At Friday's Ehresman Memorial Invitational at Bath High School, Donaldson won the 800 meters (2:00.60) and finished a close third in the 1,600 meters (4:27.18). The only two athletes that defeated Donaldson in the 1,600 on Friday were two Division II all-Ohio performers from last year, Ottawa-Glandorf's Ty Rosengarten (first, 4:24.86) and Van Wert's Owen Scott (second, 4:25.79). Bath senior Jacob Wireman was a close fourth in the 1,600 (4:37.64). "My parents always have kind of wanted me to do track, but with me being a basketball guy, I've always had spring basketball. So, I've never been able to do it," Donaldson said. "Now, being a senior, and not having spring basketball, I thought, 'I have one more (high school) sports season, so I might as well try it'. So, I came out and tried it, found out what I was good at, and since then I've been working on it and training." Donaldson said he began to give track-and-field serious consideration before this past basketball season. Advertisement "Before basketball season, me and the team did some conditioning. While I was conditioning, the competitive spirit in me was timing my mile, and two-mile. And I thought the times were pretty good. I had nothing in the spring, and I wanted to do something. So, I thought track was my best shot to be decent at something. So, at the beginning of basketball season was when I really knew that I was going to do track," he said. Bluffton's Griffin Stackhouse won Friday's 100 in a new meet-record time of 10.91 seconds. Stackhouse went on to win the 200 (22.26) and was part of the winning 800 relay (Carson Kruse, Tayt Giesige, Kain Wright, Stackhouse; 1:30.09) and the 1,600 relay (Stackhouse, Kruse, Kizer Young, Wright) that finished second (3:32.19). Bath (Levi Luke, Jacob Wireman, Foster Deters, Ethan Cole) won the 1,600 relay (3:30.62). In the final team standings on Friday, Ottawa-Glandorf won the boys' team title with 132 points, while Bluffton finished in second place with 117.50 points. Shawnee (83.75), Bath (71.50) and Wapakoneta (53.50) rounded out the top five teams in a field of 12. Bluffton came away with the girls' team crown with 139 points, while O-G finished second (114.50). Bath (81.50), Bryan (65.50) and Wapakoneta (60) finished out the top five squads. Advertisement Bluffton scored big points in the girls' pole vault on Friday. Alayna Mueller (9-0) and teammate Kally Cotter (8-6) finished first and second, respectively. On the boys' side, O-G senior Ty Rosengarten and Van Wert senior Owen Scott added another epic battle to their history of races against each other, as the two all-Ohio performers went at it in the 1,600 on Friday. And just like most of their other races between each other, it came down to the final sprint. Friday night, Rosengarten came away with the win (4:24.86), while Scott finished a close second (4:25.79). Bluffton's Marek Donaldson was a close third (4:27.18). At last year's Division II state track meet, Rosengarten finished fifth with a personal-best and school-record time of 4:19.53, while Scott placed eighth (4:20.73). The top eight placers in each event at the state meet earn all-Ohio status. Advertisement Rosengarten said he plans to log heavy mileage throughout the regular season in hopes of peaking out by the state meet. "The plan is to just maintain it (the mileage) the entire year and not race crazy. Then come postseason, I want to come out and race and see what I can really do. Considering that I'm now putting down times that I was putting down at the end of last year, with the training I'm on right now, I'll take it," he said. For Scott, it's all about working toward the end of the season. Scott was also on the winning 3,200-meter relay (Drew Laudick, Evan Keuneke, Keaten Welch, Scott; 8:24.49), and finished third in the 800 (2:01.15) on Friday. "So far, it looks like the four-by-eight (3,200 relay), mile (1,600) and then two-mile (3,200) are the events. I ran it last year, so I might as well do it again," he said with a grin. Advertisement Rosengarten will compete in track and cross country at the University of Findlay next year, while Scott will compete in track and cross country at Youngstown State University. O-G boys coach Brian Heebsh was pleased at how his team responded in its first invitational of the season. "We have a really good senior class, and we've had some younger guys step up. We're trying to reduce their (the seniors) workload a little bit. So, guys who would normally do three or four events are doing two or three, and they're doing them really well," he said. Added O-G girls coach Matt Burwell, "All-around, I thought the girls did outstanding. They've all been putting the work in. It seems like every year we're working harder. We've got over a hundred kids (total athletes) in the high school (track program). We've got 110 (total athletes) in the junior high. It's awesome to see what our track program is doing," he said. Advertisement Shawnee's Richardson shatters invite record Shawnee senior Akyus Richardson knew he had some even better throws to come. Last spring, Richardson threw the shot put 60 feet, 4 inches during the regular season. He went on to place fifth at the Division I state meet with a mark of 58-4.75. At Friday's Ehresman Invitational, Richardson not only set a personal best but recorded a new Ehresman Invitational record with a winning heave of 61-0. Bryan's Cody Shaffer finished a distant second with a toss of 47-1. "The goal is to get back to state and just crash through everybody. ... That's the goal," Richardson said. "It (fifth-place finish at state) was good, but it wasn't where I wanted to be. I try to get better every single day. That's the goal. That's the mentality. So, this season, I want to be ready to do the best at the right time." Advertisement Richardson also won the discus on Friday with a toss of 151-0. Kenton's Bill Wilkinson finished a close second (147-11), while Shawnee's Brady Miller came in close third (145-4). Richardson will compete at Walsh University next year. ***Complete results of the Ehresman Invitational can be found on Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bluffton's historic season ends in Lower State quarters
BLUFFTON, S.C. (WSAV) — The Bluffton boys' basketball team had a historic season come to an end in the Class AAAA Lower State quarterfinals at home against Wilson, 50-44, on Feb. 20. Bluffton lead, 40-36, after the third quarter. However, in the final frame, Bluffton only scored one field goal and total of four points in the final eight minutes. 'Just overall,' Bluffton head coach Bradley Gabriel said. 'I thought we competed, just had a couple of mental lapses here and there in a big game like that it'll cost you. It did tonight. But proud of our kids, proud of our season. That's what I told the guys. I said, 'One game doesn't define who we are.' But overall, I just think their length and their size kind of caught up to us a little bit down the stretch. The 23 wins will go down as one of the best in school history. Bluffton won the Bobcat Classic in early January. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
